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First Steps literacy resources comprise comprehensive teaching materials in the four modes of literacy: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Viewing as well as a resource - Linking Assessment, Teaching and Learning.

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Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching - MEP(Primary)

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Much of the material developed for this initiative is based on a Hungarian Series, edited by Professor Sándor Hajdu at the Petö Institute in Budapest, and published by Müszaki Könyvkiadó. This has been adapted and modified for UK schools with the help of Professor Tibor Szalontai and Rita Szalontai.

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Cuisenaire-Rods
Introduction, background, and activities to try to familiarize yourself with cuisenaire rods.
Simon Gregg: How I Teach Using Cuisenaire Rods (3-5) Big Ideas in Arithmetic (k-5)
How to use:

Learn more about the power of Cuisenaire Rods: Video Book Simon Gregg Buy Rods

Watch and ask: What do you notice? What do you wonder?

Eventually, students will notice that the color of the rod represents a quantity. They will notice that the orange rod represents 10, and we can see the groups of ten in each number. They will see the pattern of the ones repeating over and over and the groups of ten increasing. That will lead to the idea that the written digits represent place value: orange for the tens place, and the other colors for the ones place.

What do you notice(K-5)

Use with sticky notes or fill in the spots below. You can recreate this document on an anchor chart as well.

Copy the picture above for the staircases that you can copy for students
Make Your Own Meter Stick
Cuisenaire Environment/Picture Virtual Manipulative. Students can add the values, make equations, make fractions, etc. The page gives suggestions. (K-5)

IHaveWhoHasCuisenaireRods(K-5)
I have Who Has cuisenaire directions
Free Play Grab Bag(K-5) Lesson 1 out of 3 for an introduction

Counting the staircase, making yellows(K-5)

Making Colored Rods-Recording Sheet for the above lesson; Lesson 2 out of 3 for an introduction

Cuisenaire Rod Fill-ins Lesson 3 out of 3 for an introduction

Use this to notice patterns when adding and subtracting or even and odd.

Reaching for Rods (K-5)

cuisenaire-rod-blog-pp(K-5) This gives an introduction to Cuisenaire Rods and mentions several activities and literature connections.

Math and Literature June 17 2014 (K-2) A resource that gives lists of several math books and activities you can do with them using any kind of manipulative, including Cuisenaire Rods.

Cuisenaire Cards Card games (K-2) Print out 4 of these pages to make a deck of cards. If you plan on having more people involved in games, you can increase that number.

Snakey Rods(K-2) Game

Chutes and Ladders(K-2) Game

Little Pig Centers(K-2) Help Little Pig Build a House

Cuisenaire Counting (k-1) Composing and decomposing numbers; fact families; related facts; three addends

PDL-Number-Building-Playmats-for-Cuisenaire-Rods(K-1) Composing and decomposing numbers. The second page gives great suggestions for ways to extend the activity.

Train for Two (1-3) Addition and subtraction

Counting the staircase, making yellows(K-5)

Making Colored Rods-Recording Sheet for the above lesson
Using the picture book, "Grapes of Math" by Greg Tang
Click the picture above for the lesson "What's the Difference" (1-3)

Subtraction strategies

Which Line is Longer Comparing; repeated addition; subtraction. Can be whole group and then in a center.

Challenge Match Challenge Match Task Card (K-2) Composing and decomposing numbers to 10; unknown addends; addition and subtraction

cuisenaire capers (1-5) Adding up to 100; properties of operations; place value; writing expressions; multiplication; distributive property

Triangle Magic (1-5) Three addends that equal ten. The logic and reasoning needed makes is suitable for intermediate grades.

color match doubles addition(1-5) Adding doubles. The logic and reasoning needed makes is suitable for intermediate grades.

sums to ten (K-2) Sums to 10.

Number of the Day Cuisenaire Rods(K-2) Even/Odd, adding/subtracting, greater than/less than

odds and evens(1-2) Addition

Shorter or Longer cuisenaire spinner(K-2) Measurement, comparing problems (addition/subtraction), greater than, less than

Same Difference(K-2) Noticing patterns with differences and addition and subtraction strategies.

One more, one less, two more, two less (K-Beginning 2)

multiplication task card (3-5) Prime/composite or multiplication/division

Same Length Trains (k-3) Virtual

same length trains(2-3) Can use repeated addition or multiplication
Cuisenaire Squared Three Act Task (3-5)
Cuisenaire Squared Three Act Task Cuisenaire Squared Three Act Task
Using the picture book, "Grapes of Math" by Greg Tang
Cuisenaire Rod Squares (3-5) Students will notice patterns with square numbers.

Squares and Rectangles (3-5) Patterns with area and perimeter.

Which Line is Longer(2-3) Commutative property, symmetry, patterns, multiplication, repeated addition

Cuisenaire Rod Equations(3-5) Order of Operations, solving equations with unknowns

cuisenaire capers(1-5) Adding up to 100; properties of operations; place value; writing expressions; multiplication; distributive property

Gridlock Recording Sheet Gridlock Game (3-5) Multiplication and area

Cuisenaire Rod Equations(3-5) Order of operations, solving equations with unknowns

Click on the picture above for the online activity (3-5)

Show connection between fractions and multiplication

Click picture above to go to website and learn more about the lesson(3-5).

More less equal to a whole (3-5)

CPALMS Fraction Measuring (3rd) Fractions, Equivalent Fractions, Measuring with CM

CuisenaireRodsNumberLines (3-5) Fractions on a Number Line

Parts of a Whole Fraction Packet(3-5) Riddles

Adding and Subtracting with Unlike Denominators Fractions (4-5) Riddles

Naming rods (4-5)
Make Your Own Meter Stick
Estimation Station(K-5) Measurement and Estimation. Older grades can convert using the metric system.

CPALMS Fraction Measuring (3rd) Fractions, Equivalent Fractions, Measuring with cm

COLOR An Amusing Adventure Game Board An amusing adventure An Amusing Adventure Game Board(2-5) Measurement, with estimating first. There are a lot of suggestions on how to extend this activity on page 7 of the last PDF.

Estimate and Measure (K-5) Estimate how many centimeters the line is and then measuring with Cuisenaire Rods.

Shorter or Longer kindergarten ShorterorLongerMathStationFREEBIE cuisenaire spinner (K-2) Measurement, comparing problems (addition/subtraction), greater than, less than

Squares and Rectangles(3-5) Patterns with area and perimeter.

Race to Get to 50 or 100(2-5) Skills: Addition, Subtraction, Skip Counting, Decimals, Metric System, Measurement.

Cuisenaire Cards(K-5) Print out 4 of these pages to make a deck of cards. Versions of War, Go Fish, Memory, etc.

Cuisenaire Art(K-5) There are several extensions/variations that make this activity great for multiple skills and multiple grade levels. (Add, subtract, multiply, divide, properties of operations, order of operations, place value, line them up next to a meter stick to find value). Use this to notice patterns when adding and subtracting or even and odd.
Number Patterns Using Cuisenaire Rods (K-5)
Number Patterns with Cuisenaire Rods (K-5)

Race to Get to 50 or 100(2-5) Skills: Addition, Subtraction, Skip Counting, Decimals, Metric System, Measurement.

Tricky Path (1-5) Skills: One more, one less, number sequences, or number patterns. You can challenge your students by asking them to make it with the greatest or least amount of rods possible. Extend: Students can count the value of the rods and make equations.

Triangle Magic (1-5) How can you place the rods so that each side of the triangle adds up to an orange rod?

color match doubles addition(1-5)

Squeeze Play(K-5) Logic and reasoning game

Odd One Out examples (1-5) Examples-addition/subtraction, multiplication/division

Equations with cuisenaire rods(3-5) Order of Operations, solving equations with unknowns

Shorter or Longer cuisenaire spinner(K-2) Measurement, comparing problems (addition/subtraction), greater than, less than

Cuisenaire Rod Equations(3-5) Order of operations, solving equations with unknowns

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Cuisenaire-Rods Introduction, background, and activities to try to familiarize yourself with cuisenaire rods. Simon Gregg: How I Teach Using Cuisenaire Rods (3-5) Big Ideas in Arithmetic (k-5) How to use: Learn more about the power of Cuisenaire Rods: Video Book Simon Gregg Buy Rods Watch and ask: What do you notice?

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Number Rack facilitates the natural development of children’s number sense. Rows of moveable, colored beads encourage learners to think in groups of fives and tens, helping them to explore and discover a variety of addition and subtraction strategies.

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Fun children's learning activities, including printable templates, for preschool, kindergarten and elementary school kids.

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Cuisenaire Rod and Pattern Block Activities

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he book is divided into six clusters. The intent of the first cluster, "Getting to Know You," is to channel children's natural curiosity so that they can recognize key characteristics of the blocks. In the "Creative Designs" cluster, children are encouraged to use pattern blocks as tools to create, analyze, and compare original designs and communicate about what they have done.

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Topics: Addition, subtraction, measurement, skip counting
Materials: See specific lessons
Recommended Grade: K, 1, 2
Common Core: K.CC.B.4, K.CC.B.5, K.OA.A.1, K.OA.A.2, K.OA.A.3, 1.OA.A.1, 1.OA.A.2, 1.OA.D.7

OVERVIEW
This series of lessons is meant to introduce Cuisenaire rods in a creative, engaging way, and see how Cuisenaire rods can illuminate and motivate addition, subtraction, and measurement.

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Topics: Addition, subtraction, measurement, skip counting Materials: See specific lessons Recommended Grade: K, 1, 2 Common Core: K.CC.B.4, K.CC.B.5, K.OA.A.1, K.OA.A.2, K.OA.A.3, 1.OA.A.1, 1.OA.A.2, 1.OA.D.7 OVERVIEW This series of lessons is meant to introduce Cuisenaire rods in a creative, engaging way, and see how Cuisenaire rods can illuminate and motivate addition, subtraction, and measurement.

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Primay School Addition Activities and Games - SparkleBox

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FREE printable Addition Activities and Teaching Resources for Primary School.

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In this unit students use Cuisenaire material (or other equivalent material that fits together precisely) to make "number mats" that illustrate a variety of numerical patterns and can be visually appealing. They formally record the number relationships in the mat.

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Download Your Free Attribute Blocks Activities

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Cuisenaire rods are colorful wooden rods ranging from 1cm to 10cm lengths. They're great for creating patterns, counting, sorting, measuring, adding, multiplying, and all sorts of other fun explorations. Although the rods were originally created for formalized classroom use, as a curriculum component, I hope you choose to just play with them instead. I think your experiences with them will be more enjoyable and longer lasting that way. If you treat them like workbooks and assignments, it may detract from the intrinsic fun and natural learning that's possible. The following are some of the ways we've played with them over the years. Enjoy!

Creating Patterns and Designs

Use the rods to create patterned designs. Experiment with symmetrical and asymmetrical patterns.

Think about the colors and sizes of the rods first rather than the numbers.

Yellow = green + red = red + green (5 = 3+2 = 2+3)
Red, purple, green, brown, orange, orange, brown, green, purple, red (2,4,6,8,10,10,8,6,4,2)
Dark green = purple+red = red+purple (6 = 4+2 = 2+4)
Yellow, orange, yellow, orange (5,10,5,10)

Building Trains and Staircases

Use the rods alone, or the rods and tracks, to create varying lengths of trains.

Use all one color rod, two colors together, or a combination of colored rods for different trains.

Use the 50cm or 100cm tracks to measure the trains easily.

Use dice to add or multiply numbers to determine how long of a train to create.

Use rods to create varying heights of staircases, maybe with a difference of one or a difference of two in each step. See the first couple photos above.

Dice Games with Rods & Tracks

These are fun games to play with a partner, and a great way to familiarize yourself with the rod colors and their corresponding number values. You can play these games with either 50cm or 100cm rod tracks, a set of Cuisenaire rods, and a set of dice.

Race to 50 or Race to 100: Each player takes a turn rolling a die to see which rod to place on his or her track. For instance, if you roll a 5, you can use the metric ruler on the edge of the rod track to measure the rod you think represents the number 5. You might have to measure a few rods at first to know which one is the right size. Each player takes turns placing corresponding rods on his or her track. After each turn, you can compare the lengths of rod trains on your tracks. Play until one or both players reach the end of the 50cm track.

Variations: You can use one die, placing a single rod at a time on the track, or a set of dice to either add or multiply the numbers on the dice. If you're adding the dice, and you roll a 2 (red rod) and a 3 (light green rod), you can choose to place the red and light green rods or a yellow rod (5) on your track. If you're multiplying the dice, and you roll a 3 (light green) and a four (purple), that makes 3 fours or 4 threes, so you can place 3 purples or 4 light greens on your track.

Race to Zero: This is the reverse game of Race to 50 or 100. Fill up a track with orange rods (10s), roll the die, and subtract rods till you clear the track and get to zero. Trade rods as necessary in order to facilitate subtraction. This is a game that is best played after many games of Race to 50 or 100 because subtraction concepts can be more abstract to think about while becoming familiar with the rods and tracks. Alternately, you could just keep the original rods from a Race to 50 game on the rod tracks, and remove one colored rod at a time according to the number you roll. In this way, there's no trading involved, just identifying the numbers/colored rods to remove.

Game: Half Of...

This is a simple conversational game for young children. It's adapted from the book, First Grade Diary, p.4 by Robert Hightower and Lore Rasmussen.

Can you find the rod that is "half of" the purple rod? (The red rod is half the length of the purple rod.)

Can you find "half of" the red rod? Which rod is "half of" the orange rod? Etc.

Creating Squares

Can you find some "square numbers" by creating Cuisenaire rod squares with 4 fours (purples), 5 fives (yellows), or 6 sixes (greens)? If you then shift them into lines on a rod track, you can confirm their totals. For example, a 4×4 = 16, a 5×5 = 25, and a 6×6 = 36.

Game: How Long, How Many...

Use centimeter graph paper and some Cuisenaire rods to play this game of building rectangles. Roll a set of dice. The 1st roll tells how long a rod to use; the 2nd roll tells how many of that colored rod to take. Arrange the rods into a rectangle. You can place the rod rectangles on a sheet of centimeter graph paper, or also trace them on the paper and write the related multiplication sentence inside each rectangle. (For example, 3×5=15, or 4×6= 24) Play until the graph paper is covered with as many rod rectangles as possible. This game is adapted from the book, About Teaching Mathematics: A K-8 Resource, 3rd Edition, p.201 by Marilyn Burns.

Parts of a Whole

I think Cuisenaire rods are helpful when thinking about parts of a whole. Kids will notice these relationships naturally, but I've mentioned them here so parents can see and think about them also. For instance:

If an orange rod is considered one whole, then a yellow rod is one of two parts, or ½ of an orange rod.

If a brown rod is one whole, then a red rod is one of four parts, or 1/4 of a brown rod.

If a blue rod is considered one whole, then a light green rod is one of three parts, or 1/3 of a blue rod.

Logic Problems

These are simple games of logic using Cuisenaire rods. Hide a small collection of rods and offer clues to help people predict which rods you're hiding. Participants should have a small assortment of rods in front of them to help them visualize the clues and make good predictions. For example:

"I have three rods. They're all different. The train is as long as dark green." (light green, red, white)

"I have four rods. All are the same. The train equals orange plus dark green." (four purple)

"I have four rods. None are the same. The train equals three yellow minus purple."

There are numerous problems like these from the book, Hidden Rods, Hidden Numbers by Manon Charbonneau. It was re-published with a new title, Critical Thinking Puzzles with Cuisenaire Rods. I think they're both out of print now, but you might be able to find a used copy. I found my copy of the first title many years ago at Math 'n' Stuff in Seattle. Of course, you can always just make up your own similar guessing games. Be sure to let your kids take a turn choosing the rods and clues, too.
Have fun playing!

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Cuisenaire rods are colorful wooden rods ranging from 1cm to 10cm lengths. They're great for creating patterns, counting, sorting, measuring, adding, multiplying, and all sorts of other fun explorations. Although the rods were originally created for formalized classroom use, as a curriculum component, I hope you choose to just play with them instead.

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Model your word problems with Thinking Blocks! Only at MathPlayground.com.

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Last week, our school received exciting new math tools - cuisenaire rods

! I've used these number rods before, and was thrilled to jump right-in with them this week in guided math groups. We are at a perfect point in math to spend an entire week getting hands-on practice with some 1st grade skills.

With any math tool, we started with exploratory play. I introduced the cuisenaire rods by name, handed out a mat for using the rod (just 1 cm graph paper), and set the timer for 10 minutes. Why do we play first? My friends know we put first-things-first, so when we pull out these number rods, I want to make sure we are using them as math tools, not as toys. Giving students time to explore gives them this 'play' time so our later learning is focused.

Our first task after exploring the rods was to create a staircase. It was interesting to watch students create their staircases and see which students had to individually count/point the squares on each rod and which students could mental 'hold' the number as they counted.

At this point, we transitioned into our guided math groups. We are learning about related facts (fact families) right now, so we started with a part/part/whole chart. I LOVED this visual representation of this skill. I gave my students 2 parts and they had to find the matching whole rod. After lots of practice, we bumped it up and I gave students a whole and a part. It was then their job to find the missing part (i.e. missing addends)!

Then, we transitioned to writing number sentences about our part/part/whole boxes. The cuisenaire rods

are so hands-on, it's perfect for my sweet and lows who struggle with fact families. They could physically manipulate the placement of rods (green first, yellow second...yellow first, green second). Additionally, it made the 'Think Subtraction' sentences SO much easier to coach. Students had the whole rod (the green plus the yellow) in their hands. They could then choose which rod to remove (subtract). As students did each step, they had to talk me through it. After we talked about it, we wrote it on our tables. Using cuisenaire rods made fact families such a 'concrete' concept rather than these random 4 number sentences - woohoo!

In Chapter 5, Go Math also has us looking at different ways to compose numbers. Using our cuisenaire rods was a great opportunity to get hands-on practice with this skill. We started out with only the rods on the table (no markers). I handed each student a different whole and asked them to find other rods that were the same length. (Each student had a different whole to keep wandering eyes at bay). After students had time to find 5/6 different combinations, we went around the table and talked about the rods asking 'How did you made them equal?' Then, we made the connection to addition - finally, writing our addition sentences under each combination.

This is such fantastic practice for my friends that is has become a new math center using these house mats. It's the perfect opportunity for students to get hands-on practice with equal number sentences and the house provides a structure that helps students to work independently.

One group of my friends were ready to bump-up to finding equal equations, so I introduced the balances - (insert amazed faces of 1st graders here). This is the first time I've pulled out this math tool, and my friends were in awe. To start, we explored the beams and made predictions about what would happen if we put different rods on each platform. After exploring, I asked - "How could you make both sides balanced?"

Throughout 2 days of guided math, we learned that different combinations of the same number would balance because they had the same value.

Eventually (after MUCH practice and talking and hands-on experience), we wrote each side of the balance in terms of numbers. We'll continue exploring this in the coming week, and I will introduce it to my other guided-math groups, as well. After teaching it once, though,

Well friends, these are a few different ways we're using cuisenaire rods in our guided math structure. We are loving these hands-on tools. As a teacher, I love that they provide such a concrete model for some difficult math concepts.
If you don't have cuisenaire rods, no worries! You can can pick up a small-group set of cuisenaire rods pretty affordably on Amazon. (FYI - when using them in small groups, I use 1 set for every 3 students) or use them online at Enriching Mathematics.
So tell me, do you use cuisenaire rods in your classroom? If so, do you have any tips or tricks for using them? What's your favorite way to use them? I'd love to hear what works for you!

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Using Cuisenaire Rods - The Brown Bag Teacher

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Last week, our school received exciting new math tools - cuisenaire rods! I've used these number rods before, and was thrilled to jump right-in with them this week in guided math groups. We are at a perfect point in math to spend an entire week getting hands-on practice with some 1st grade skills.

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Students will pretend to be Witch's and Wizards and will invent a magic potion. They have strict instructions from the head witch aka Teacher, that their potion can only be 600 millilitres. They must think of 6 different ingredients to put into their potion. Unfortunately, if one of those ingredients is 100 millilitres the potion will explode. If they use more than 6 ingredients or if their ingredients don't add to 600 millilitres the potion will also explode. A great lesson to engage students in measuring capacity.

Year 3: Measure, order and compare objects using familiar metric units of length, mass and capacity (ACMMG061).

Year 4: Use scaled instruments to measure and compare lengths, masses, capacities and temperatures (ACMMG084).

Have Students seated in a circle. Display the witch's cauldron image.

Today we are going to be witch's and wizards and you will need to create a magic potion.

Will you be a nice witch/wizard or an evil witch/wizard?

Have students share what sort of potion they may create. Some ideas are: Love potions, invisibility potions, truth potions, flying potions, strength potions etc...

The potion you create will need to be 600 millilitres. If it is under or over 600 millilitres it will explode!

You can use 6 ingredients in your potion. ONLY 6! What are some ingredients you might use? Examples: blood, unicorn hair, frog's skins, toe nails etc...

How many millilitres might each ingredient be if our potion is to be 600 millilitres?

Students are not to have any ingredient equalling 100 millilitres. If they do their potion will not work and will explode.

Challenge students to think of other numbers they could use to reach 600.

Students will brainstorm 2 different ways to get to 600 millilitres. Share with the class to make sure they equal 600.

They will then be given the measuring jug activity, where they are required to...

Give their potion a name, write each ingredient down the bottom and write how many millilitres each one is.

They will then put each ingredient into their jug and will colour it in.

Upon completion they will write a recipe for their potion. They will list ingredients, method, what happens when the potion is taken and how it can be reversed.

Conclusion:

1. At the end of the session, discuss methods used to calculate how much potion they had as they added the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th ingredient.

2. Link this to addition and subtraction as being the inverse of each other and model how we can work out what is required by taking away what we have already added in.

Collect students measuring jug activity sheet and recipe. Glue these onto poster card and display.

Assessing students on the following points:

Could they accurately create different ways to reach 600 millilitres?

Did they draw their recipe correctly on the measuring jug?

I have provided an example of the measuring jug activity worksheet. The worksheet has the measurements drawn onto the jug, but I have provided an editable version in which measurements have not been drawn onto the jug.

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If you like this lesson, or have an idea to improve it, please consider sharing it on Twitter and Facebook or leave a comment below.

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Magic Potions! Measuring Volume and Capacity Lesson Plan 2/3/4 - Australian Curriculum Lessons

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Summary of lesson plan: Students will pretend to be Witch's and Wizards and will invent a magic potion. They have strict instructions from the head witch aka Teacher, that their potion can only be 600 millilitres. They must think of 6 different ingredients to put into their potion.

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This problem has been designed to work on in a group of about four. For more details about how you might go about doing this, please read the Teachers' Notes.

You will need to print off these eight cards, which have pictures of glasses of orange and blackcurrant juice on them. You need one set of these cards for your group.

Have a good look at the cards with everyone in your group. Talk to each other about what you notice. Can you sort the cards in different ways?

Now you are ready for the challenge. You will need to print off this set of clue cards. There are ten clue cards altogether.

Give the clue cards out to everyone in your group. Take it in turns to read your cards out loud. Listen out for instructions that tell you what to do, which are written on one or more of the cards.

Can you lay out the pictures of the drinks in the way described by the clue cards?

We would love to hear how you got on with this activity.
Perhaps you can send us a photo of your solution?
Can you tell us which clue cards helped you get started?
How did you know whether your solution was correct?

This activity is taken from Maths Buzz, collaborative reasoning challenges devised by NRICH and published by BEAM. Maths Buzz is out of print but can still be found on Amazon.

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This problem has been designed to work on in a group of about four. For more details about how you might go about doing this, please read the Teachers' Notes. You will need to print off these eight cards, which have pictures of glasses of orange and blackcurrant juice on them.

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For this challenge, you will need lots of different cups. This picture shows some:

Which might you choose if you wanted a lot to drink? Why?
Which one would you choose if you did not want a lot to drink? Why?
Can you arrange the cups in a line from the one that holds the most liquid to the one that holds the least liquid?
How will you test whether you are right?

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You'll need a collection of cups for this activity.

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A group of eight children in Class 6 were measuring water using measuring cylinders. They coloured the water to make reading the scales easier.

They lined up the cylinders in two neat rows, each labelled with a child's name and the amount they had measured out.

Then Harry opened the window and the wind blew most of the labels onto the floor! "Oh! Harry!" they all wailed. Can you relabel the cylinders for them?

Ahmed had measured out just a thousand millilitres and Belinda twice as much as Ahmed.

Grace had measured out three-quarters of the amount that Belinda had done and Freddie had half the amount that Ahmed had measured out.

Which were their cylinders?

Callum had coloured his water blue. How much did he measure out?

Ellie had coloured her water pink and Dan coloured his orange. How much did they measure out?

"Don't drink that!" Harry had laughed, pointing at Dan's cylinder, "It's not orange juice!" As his hand stretched out he knocked over his red liquid. "Oh! Harry!" they all wailed again.

How much was left in Harry's cylinder after the accident?

You can download a resource sheet of the measuring cylinders.

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A group of children are using measuring cylinders but they lose the labels. Can you help relabel them?

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Sadly, I don't think they get opportunities for this like we did when we were kids. Instead of playing in a sand box or with cups and bowls in the bathtub, kids are playing with iPads and Wii's. And so many districts (mine included) are taking away sand and water tables from kindergarten, in favor of more "rigor." Because of this, kids are not building the schema necessary to understand more abstract concepts about capacity.

So please, please give your kids lots of time to explore by filling up cups with water, sand, rice, beans, cubes...whatever you have! If you are lucky enough to still have a sand or water table, it is the perfect excuse to use it. Don't let anyone tell you it's not "rigorous"!

I start my unit by showing a quick little powerpoint, to get a discussion started.

You can download the PPT by clicking the link below:
Download Will an Elephant fit in a Bathtub
The kids are able to quickly give the correct answers. But I push them--I want to know why! (Because the blue bucket holds a lot more than the red cup, so you won't need as many bucketfuls. It will be quicker...)

Then I show the kids several bottles, cups and other containers and have them put them in order from what would hold the least to most amount of water (smallest to largest capacity). I make sure it is very obvious which containers hold more/less water. I'll make it trickier soon enough!

Finally, I have the kids draw and label something in their math journals that would hold more water than their water bottles...a milk jug, a pitcher, a vase, a lake, the swimming pool, the ocean... They usually come up with some good ones!

NOTE: We do not record anything in our journals for this "problem". We are going to play with water, and water + math journals = very, very stressed teacher. So the math journals stay safely tucked away, warm and dry. Don't be afraid of the water, though. Clearly lay out your expectations (Please keep as much of the water in the containers as possible, no splashing, etc). Bring a couple of big towels to school. Clear off your tables and let them explore!

So on Day 1, I made it very obvious which containers had larger and smaller capacities. On Day 2, it gets a little trickier! I tell the kids that I am really thirsty and show them 2 cups.

The obvious answer would be the blue cup. It is much smaller than the green cup and will, therefore, hold much less water. But then (insert evil laugh here) , I show them the red cup...

Now the answer is not so obvious! The kids usually guess that the green cup holds more, because it is "bigger" (taller). But I tell them I want to know for sure--how are they going to prove it? I do not show them how to figure it out. I give each table a green cup, a red cup, and a tub of water. I also leave out a variety of other containers, including some small dixie cups, and tell them they can use whatever they want to try and figure the problem out. I let them work together and discuss their various ideas. And I push them in the right direction with questions only when I think they need it.

There are several strategies the kids can use. The most obvious is to fill up one cup, and then pour it in the other to see if there's room left or if it overflows. Another would be to use the smaller dixie cups to see how many it takes to fill each cup and compare the answers. Another yet would be to fill up both cups and then pour them into a common container to compare.

Your job as a teacher is to guide them. Tell me what you're doing? Why did you decide to do that? What does that tell you? What are you going to do next? (And only when they're completely stuck) What would happen if...?

So which cup do you think has the larger capacity? It turns out that they're pretty darn close, but the red cup holds just a few ounces more.

The most important part of this investigation is the discussion afterwards. Have the kids demonstrate what they did and talk about what worked and what didn't. Which cup had the larger capacity? WHY??? The green cup is taller, shouldn't it hold more? (Ahh...but the red cup is wider.) Remember--kids learn from each other so much better than they learn from us!

Here's a chance for kids to learn about capacity and practice their estimating skills at the same time. You can use cubes, or cups of beans, or any other unit of measurement you like.

For this activity, I give the kids a variety of containers. The dollar store is a great place to get them. (Like you need another excuse to go to the Dollar Store!) Do not make the answer obvious (i.e. make sure the containers do not fit one inside the other like measuring cups.) Make sure some are tall and some are wide, so the kids will actually have to fill them with beans to place them in order.

We use little plastic "Dixie" type cups to measure. Don't make the containers so large that it becomes frustrating for the kids. See the square sandwich container below? It actually holds the same amount as...

...this cylinder take-out container. It's true. Even I had to fill them up with beans before I would believe it!

If you can get your hands on some graduated cylinders from your science lab, the kids LOVE them. Just make sure you have a variety of shapes and sizes.

More practice comparing capacities. I do not tell the kids what to do. I let them decide the best way to figure out which one holds more.

This is a very abstract and challenging problem!
But every year, I have several kids who can handle it. So I'm giving it to you in case you can use it. By the time we do our measurement unit, we've already covered quite a bit of basic joining and separating--so we have a solid foundation, already. This is a classic Join, Change Unknown problem. Once again, I do not tell or show the kids how to figure the problem out--I just guide them with my questions.

This is a really fun unit, for both the kids and the teacher. So take a deep breath, and...

Let them play!

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Math Problem Solving: Exploring Capacity

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Kids have a lot of misconceptions about capacity, and they can really only be cleared up through hands-on exploration. Sadly, I don't think they get opportunities for this like we did when we were kids. Instead of playing in a sand box or with cups and bowls in the bathtub, kids are playing with iPads and Wii's.

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Discover recipes, home ideas, style inspiration and other ideas to try.

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FREE Capacity Primary Maths Teaching Resources - SparkleBox

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FREE Printable Maths Resources for teaching Capacity and Volume.

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Volume and Capacity: an Activity Pack | STEM

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Published by BEAM this resource contains 21 activity cards on volume and capacity, which allow children to develop their mathematical skill by actively estimating, measuring and comparing capacity and volume. Developed by teachers, the cards help find a way of teaching which fits with the way children learn mathematics whilst linking to the national curriculum.

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Volume and Capacity Units of Work | nzmaths

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Volume is the measure of space taken up by a three-dimensional object. The space within a container is known as its capacity but as the thickness of many containers is negligible, it has become acceptable to refer to the space inside as volume too.

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In this unit we compare the volumes of containers using the context of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

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Number Talks were created by Kathy Richardson and Ruth Parker in the early 1990s to engage students in meaningful mathematical discourse and sense-making as well as transform the culture of the classroom to one of inquiry and curiosity.

What is a Number Talk?

A Number Talk is a short, ongoing daily routine that provides students with meaningful ongoing practice with computation. A Number Talk is a powerful tool for helping students develop computational fluency because the expectation is that they will use number relationships and the structures of numbers to add, subtract,

Blacklines for Number Talks

Schedule a Number Talks Course in your District

To schedule a Number Talks: Thinking With Numbers K-2 or 3-6 course in your district, contact us at (360)715-2782 or email Sheryl Russell at sheryl@mathperspectives.com.

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Number Talks were created by Kathy Richardson and Ruth Parker in the early 1990s to engage students in meaningful mathematical discourse and sense-making as well as transform the culture of the classroom to one of inquiry and curiosity. What is a Number Talk?

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Teaching Tools | Resources for Teachers from Scholastic

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100th Day (2) A Special Thank You (1) activities & games (2) addition (1) addition strategies (3) algabraic reasoning (1) anchor charts (2) arrays (2) art and math (2) assessment (7) at-home math bags (1) back to school (2) basic facts (11) blog hops (6) Blog Kick Off (1) book

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Sherry Parrish: Number Talks: Building Numerical Reasoning

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Number talks ( Kindergarten, 1st Grade & 2nd Grade) offer a bridge between conceptual understanding and mental math. During mini-lessons and Guided Math, I am ALL about manipulatives. Base 10 pieces, unifix cubes, cuisenaire rods - give me all the math things. Especially in 1st grade, manipulatives offer a concrete way to represent a number and their thinking. At some point, this concrete thinking has to begin to transition into abstract and mental math processes. Number Talks offer a daily, short, structured way for students to talk about math with their peers.

What is a Number Talk?

Number Talks are short (10ish minutes), daily exercises aimed at building number sense. Number sense is the ability to play with numbers meaning students can visualize problem solving, perform calculations quickly, and are flexible in their mathematical strategy. Students who have strong number sense solve problems in more than one way and check that their answers make sense. As a part of this routine, students are thinking, asking their peers questions, and explaining their own thinking all while the teacher records the thinking.

Sherry Parish has written the book Number Talks (Amazon affiliate link) and it offers awesome ideas for Kindergarten to 6th grade. It is definitely an expensive (up to $60 if bought new) but offers great ideas and real-life examples of Number Talks.

What Do Number Talks Look Like?

When possible, I love slipping a number talk ( Kindergarten, 1st Grade & 2nd Grade) in at the beginning of our Guided Math block. If we're running late, I'll slip a Number Talk in during an awkward transition or at the very end of the day. A traditional talk follows this routine -
Present the class with a problem. Students are seated in a common area with no math tools. Number Talks are mental exercises. I store my number talks ( Kindergarten, 1st Grade & 2nd Grade) on binder rings next to my Document Camera for easy access.

Give think time. (When a student raises their hand, it tells other students they were not fast or good enough in their thinking. To account for this, students give me a sly thumbs-up on their chest to signal that they have thinking they want to share. Then, they put up multiple fingers (on the same hand) to indicate they have multiple ways to answer/solve the problem.

3. Call on a student - "_______, what are you thinking?" Have the student explain their thinking and then give their answer. My focus is always on the process not the answer.

4. Offer the strategy to the class. Student will elaborate (if correct) or ask questions (if misguided). If students aren't sure they understand a friend, they will say "I'm a little confused. Could you tell me in a different way?" If students agree with the student sharing they will do sign-language for 'me too' (thumb near chest and pinky pointing at friend). This builds the student's confidence and offers the student sharing positive affirmations.

5. Invite other students to share their strategies.

Scaffolding Students

If students have never been expected to explain their mathematical thinking, students may be very resistant to share their own strategies. So, how do I encourage students to share their own thinking/strategies?

Model, Model, Model - The first 2 days of Number Talks, I do a lot of modeling. After this, I completely release the Number Talks to the students.

Sentence Stems - "In my head I saw..." "My first step was..." "At first, I decided to try..." "I needed to..." "Since I wasn't sure what to do, but I noticed..."

Force It - Awkward silence is your friend. Sometimes I will wait (for extended periods of time) for students to share their thinking. Even if a friend is STRUGGLING with a problem or sharing their thinking, I do not come to the rescue. Growth comes when friends are able to sort out their own thinking and my 1st grade friends are able to do this...even if it is a little painful for me.

Examples of 1st Grade Number Conversations

So, it all sounds great, right?? But what do number talks actually look like? My first talks ( Kindergarten, 1st Grade & 2nd Grade) each year are always subitizing patterns (dot patterns). They are the perfect introduction into composing and decomposing numbers. Slowly that transitions into the 100s chart and eventually into word problems and balancing scales.

In the 2nd grade number talks, the focus is on building fluency within 20 and 100, as well as, layering skills in different ways. From missing addends, to algebraic thinking, over 400 prompts offer students dozens of chances to spiral review math skills each month.

Subitizing Quick Images

Subitizing ( Kindergarten, 1st Grade & 2nd Grade) is the ability to quickly identify the number in a group of objects without individually counting the objects. It is a concrete way to explore composing and decomposing numbers. Students will see dot patterns in different ways, and that is a great thing. When showing students 6, made from a pyramid students might see 3 and 3, 5 and 1, or 3 and 2 and 1. These are all ways to build 6 and lead students to understand that numbers can be composed and decomposed in many different ways.

Composing Numbers

Flexibility in number thinking is a critical skills in beginning mathematicians. Students must understand that 7 can be made from 4 and 3, 2 and 5, 6 and 1, or 7 and 0. Below students are provided with a "Target Number" and ask students to use some of the provided numbers to hit the target. Students then have to decide how many numbers to use, which operation to use (addition or subtraction), and then, decide if number order matters. ( 1st Grade Prompts, 2nd Grade Prompts)

Flexibly Composing AND Decomposing Numbers

An important part of teaching primary students is to build number fluency and flexibility. Students should be able to encounter numbers in a variety of formats and engage with them in a variety of ways. During our Representing Numbers conversations ( 1st Grade & 2nd Grade), I encourage students to branch outside of the typical ten frame, plus one, etc. These are great strategies when we first start, but after the first few days students can build on these basic representations to develop different relationships and understanding.

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Number Talks: How and Why? - The Brown Bag Teacher

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Number talks ( Kindergarten, 1st Grade & 2nd Grade) offer a bridge between conceptual understanding and mental math. During mini-lessons and Guided Math, I am ALL about manipulatives. Base 10 pieces, unifix cubes, cuisenaire rods - give me all the math things. Especially in 1st grade, manipulatives offer a concrete way to represent a number and their thinking.

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5 Number Talk Ideas to Try This Week

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Have you dabbled in number talks with your students only to find that they quickly get disengaged?
Or have you thought about using number talks in your classroom, but are unsure where to begin? If so, we'd like to share 5 ideas that you can implement this week.
But first....A Little About Our Number Talk Journey
When we first dabbled in number talks we followed a prescribed set of exercises. Our number talks consisted of only dot cards, ten frames and expressions. We explored one number for days at a time, while students shared various ways they saw "that" number. The students were so engaged in the beginning.
It was magical.
They could barely contain themselves as they shared their thinking with their partners.

Then, one day, the magic began to fade.

The whole experience began to become mundane at best.

The students became disengaged.

We became deflated and began to question why we were using valuable time each day dedicated to number talks. Were we getting the best "bang for our buck" with this exercise? Could we make better use of that time?
Should we do number talks at all?
As we were discussing our frustrations with number talks, we began to do what we ask our students to do all the time, problem solve.
We asked ourselves: what is our end goal?
We decided that our end goal was to nurture true mathematical curiosity and wonderment in our students.

We wanted our students to be problem solvers and critical thinkers. We wanted our students to comfortably muddle through mathematical problems without fear of being "wrong".

We wanted them to solve problems in a way that made sense to them, and to fine tune their processing as the year progressed. We wanted our students to be flexible thinkers who, with strong number sense, could clearly articulate their thinking and defend their answers to others.

Upon further reflection, we realized that number talks nurture the goals we had for our students, we just needed to think out of the box while planning them to keep student interest high.

There is nothing wrong with dot cards, ten-frames and expressions (we use them all the time), but number talks will not lose their magic if you spice them up a bit with a variety of activities.
We have chosen 5 of our favorite number talks to share with you! Just adapt them for your grade level and go! You've got this!
1. Make it True

In Make it True you present an untrue equation or inequality to your students and challenge them to make it true. This makes a great number talk because there will be a variety of ways to make any equation or inequality true, and you can get some great conversations out of this activity. It works like this:

Write an equation or inequality on the board. Choose an equation or inequality where students must think, but one that students can solve mentally. In other words, choose a problem that is not too easy, but not too hard. This would be an example of an equation you might use in a first-grade classroom:

3 + 5 = 6 + 1

First ask your students to think about if the equation is true and, if not, why not - what's the problem.

In this case 3 + 5 is 8 and 6 + 1 is 7. Eight is not equal to seven.

Once your students realize that the equation is untrue, ask your students to think about what they could change to make it true. Encourage your students to think of as many ways as possible to make the equation true. You will get answers such as:

Change the 3 to a 2.

Change the equal sign to a greater than sign.

Change the 6 to a 7.

The possibilities with this activity are endless and the concept is easily adaptable across grade levels.

Come on! Give it a try! We promise your students will be eager to figure out the challenge at hand.

2. Target Number

Target Number involves you presenting your students with a target number that they will try to reach using other selected numbers you provide. Share with your students that they must use the numbers given to arrive at the target number and that they can use any operation (or combination of operations) they want.

For example, give your students the target number of 20. Then give them the numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 21. Ask your students to brainstorm and share various ways they can arrive at the target number 20. Some answers could include:

2 x 10

5 + 5 + 5 + 5

22 - 2

10 + 10

(21 - 2) + 10

The possibilities are endless. This activity can be done with whole numbers, fractions and decimals. But best of all, all of your students will have a point of entry into this number talk. They can make it as simple or complex as they want. Our students eat this up! Yours will too!

3. Represent It!

While we do believe that mental computation is important, there are times we break out the whiteboards so students can keep track of their ideas (okay number talk police...we know we are breaking the rules a bit here but...it works for us). Represent It is one of the activities that we do this for. For Represent It, we show the students a number, then ask them to think of as many ways as they can to represent that number. We typically give students a minute or two to brainstorm their ideas prior to partner sharing, then sharing aloud.

For example, give the number 15 and ask students to represent it in as many ways as they can. You will get answers like:

20 - 5

16 - 1

10 + 5

6 + 6 + 3

Ten Frames

Tally Marks

Base-Ten Blocks

One ten and five ones

Half of 30

One-fourth of 60

Again, the possibilities are endless here. What is great about this number talk is that it encourages students to be extremely flexible in their thinking as they work to discover multiple possibilities. So. Much. Fun!

4. Balance the Scale

Balance the Scale is a favorite activity in our classrooms. While it's simple to implement, you will get some great conversations going in your classroom. You can approach this activity in a couple of ways. You can give students problems that have multiple answers, or give students problems that have one answer but are conducive to students using multiple ways to solve the problem.

For this activity simply draw a scale on your board, then draw shapes on each side with numbers in some of the shapes. Ask your students to figure out what numbers could go into the vacant shapes to make the scale balanced. This will really help your students with truly understanding the meaning of the equal sign.

5. Numberless Word Problems

A numberless word problem is a story problem that is presented without numbers so that students can focus solely on what information they need to solve the problem and what, exactly, students are being asked to solve. Use of this strategy stops students from randomly applying meaningless operations using the numbers they see in a word problem.

Here is an example of a numberless word problem.

Brad had some marbles.

He gave some to his brother.

How many marbles does Brad have now?

After you present such a problem to your students, the number talk might go something like this.

We need to know how many marbles Brad had in the beginning and how many marbles he gave to his brother?

Look at all the thinking that has taken place before students have numbers to manipulate. Now, instead of several of your students randomly adding the numbers in the word problem together (maybe this isn't an epidemic in your classroom, but it used to be in ours), they are thoughtfully processing the problem and working to answer the question. It is at this point that you apply numbers to the problem. For example:

Brad had 18 marbles.

He gave 9 to his brother.

How many marbles does Brad have now?

Call on individual students to share their answers and their thinking with the class. You may have students who have incorrect answers, and that's okay because you will be processing through "how" they got their answer. Oftentimes students correct their own thinking as they process. It is important that you ask students "how" they figured out the answer so student can learn to clearly communicate their thinking and students can learn effective strategies from one another.

If you have a curriculum with word problems, simply use those word problems but remove the numbers initially.

If you need addition and subtraction word problems, we have numberless and numbered word problems to 20, and numberless and numbered word problems to 100 - just print and go.

We also have number talk programs for grades kindergarten through fifth. Click on the links to check them out! They just might save you TONS of planning time.

There you go!

If you are in a rut with number talks, or have not yet given them a try, we encourage you to try these activities this week.

You will be amazed as you watch your learners grow in their mathematical thinking.

Thank you for stopping by.

We'd love to hear from you! What are some of your favorite number talk activities?

Happy Teaching!

Cindy

If you found this article helpful, please link, share, and comment!

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Have you dabbled in number talks with your students only to find that they quickly get disengaged? Or have you thought about using number talks in your classroom, but are unsure where to begin? If so, we'd like to share 5 ideas that you can implement this week.

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Do your students struggle to make sense of mathematical concepts?

Do your students solve mathematical problems using only one strategy?

Do your students struggle with mathematical coversations?

If you answered YES to any of these questions....

I have a great solution for you....

I introduced number talks at my school on last year and they have made a difference in many classrooms.

In this post, you will learn the 5 basic steps to conducting a number talk. In future posts, we will explore more about number talks and resources to get you started in doing your own number talks.

A number talk is a quick classroom discussion that allows students to share their mathematical thinking. A few of the things you can see during a number talk can include the following:

You can use the following 5 easy steps to get started with doing your own number talks in your classroom.

I hope you will enjoy the free resource below as you start on your number talk journey. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter where you can get updates and great info!
Flying into Learning Newsletter Signup
CLICK HERE

Make sure to pin this for later with the image below!

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Number Talks! Get your students Talking!

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Do your students struggle to make sense of mathematical concepts? Do your students solve mathematical problems using only one strategy? Do your students struggle with mathematical coversations? If you answered YES to any of these questions.... I have a great solution for you....

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Hand Gesture clipart written communication - Pencil and in color hand gesture clipart written communication

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Find the desired and make your own gallery using pin. Hand Gesture clipart written communication - pin to your gallery. Explore what was found for the hand gesture clipart written communication

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Interactive Maths - The Interactive Way to Teach Mathematics

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This activity generates a random board of 60 numbers. You have choose what types of numbers you are going to find, and highlight them all, and then check your answers. Did you miss any?

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How stinkin' cute are these fraction caterpillars, or more accurately, fractionpillars that were featured by Dana over at Common to the Core?!? We love the play on words and what a cute way to introduce your kiddos to fractions this Spring.

Assorted color pom poms

Construction paper

Hot glue gun

Wiggle Eyes

Fraction worksheet

Provide each of your kiddos with a piece of construction paper and allow them to choose 5 pom poms in three different colors (you could vary the number of poms if you're wanting to make a larger caterpillar).

Then, place a strip of hot glue onto the construction paper and have your students glue down their pom poms in any order they choose. They can then use a marker to draw on legs and antennae, gluing on a wiggle eye when they're all finished.

With the fractionpillar complete, have your students fill out a pre-printed worksheet documenting the color fractions represented by their cute little bug. You can easily recreate the worksheet in a word processing program! It should go something like this:

1. _____ out of _____ are _____ (and then include a box for writing the actual fraction)

When Dana's class was finished, she displayed their creations on her bulletin board. A super cute Spring display!

Be sure to stop by Common to the Core to scope out Dana's incredible blog soon!

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How stinkin' cute are these fraction caterpillars, or more accurately, fractionpillars that were featured by Dana over at Common to the Core?!? We love the play on words and what a cute way to introduce your kiddos to fractions this Spring.

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An Improper Fractions and Mixed Numbers Menagerie | Scholastic

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Here's how I disguise a rigorous fractions lesson with a creative, whimsical art experience.

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I came across this photo via Pinterest yesterday and thought it was a great idea for a fractions activity and would make a fantastic interactive display too.

Free Resource Pack

So to help you along I've made up a free resource pack that you could use in class.
Let the children make up their own pizzas either using the toppings included or they can make/draw their own. Then use the menu sheet or write the ingredients inside using fractions.

Use the black and white version for either photocopying onto coloured card to save ink or let the kids decorate the pizzas themselves.

There is also a full colour version - this would be great for cutting out and laminating to make a reusable game or enlarge to make an interactive wall display.

Food pieces are included but again, you could let the children draw/make their own.

There are also fraction cards included to help the children to write their pizza fractions and again they could be used for a display.

CLICK HERE to download the free resource pack.

My name's Christina and I work over at Teacher's Pet. I'm the gal responsible for creating all the resources, answering emails and taking care of our social network pages. I'm a fully qualified teacher (taught mostly in lower KS2 but secretly 'Reception is my favourite'). Also spent a lot of time working with children and young adults with disabilities with a passion for working with those with ASD.

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I came across this photo via Pinterest yesterday and thought it was a great idea for a fractions activity and would make a fantastic interactive display too. So to help you along I've made up a free resource pack that you could use in class. Let the children make up their own pizzas either using...

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STEM Learning Ltd offers the largest collection of learning resources for teachers and educators of science, technology, engineering, computing and mathematics in the UK.

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Searchable site of thousands of quality teaching resources, interactive resources, homework, exam and revision help. Useful for teachers, pupils and parents.

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A fraction is a part of a whole

You can learn about:

Fractions

Introduction to Fractions

Decimals, Fractions and Percentages

Interactive Fractions

Fractions on a pizza and the number line

Decimals, Fractions and Percentages on the Number Line

Words to Pizza

Words to Number Line

Fraction to Pizza

Fraction to Number Line

Fractions on a Clock Face

The three different types of fractions

Proper Fractions

Improper Fractions

Mixed Fractions

How to simplify a fraction, and how the "Greatest Common Factor" can help

Equivalent Fractions

Fraction Number Line

Simplifying Fractions

Greatest Common Factor

Greatest Common Factor Tool

How to compare fractions, and how the "Least Common Multiple" can help

Comparing Fractions

Least Common Multiple

Least Common Multiple Tool

Least Common Denominator

How to add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions

♫ "Multiplying fractions no big problem,
Top times top over bottom times bottom,

"Dividing fractions, easy as pie,
Flip the second fraction, then multiply,

"If adding or subtracting is your aim,
The bottom numbers must be the same!

"Change the bottom using multiply or divide,
But the same to the top must be applied,

"And don't forget to simplify,
Before it's time to say goodbye"  ♫

Multiplying Fractions

Dividing Fractions

Adding Fractions Adding Fractions Illustrated

Subtracting Fractions Subtracting Fractions Illustrated

Dividing Fractions by Whole Numbers

Adding Mixed Fractions

Multiplying Mixed Fractions

How to convert fractions to decimals and vice versa

Convert Decimals to Fractions and Decimal to Fraction Converter

Converting Fractions to Decimals

How to convert fractions to percentages and vice versa

Convert Percentages to Fractions

Converting Fractions to Percentages

Reciprocal fractions

Reciprocal Fractions

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Kids, Fraction Tutorial, Learning Fractions - KidsOLR

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KidsOLR presents an easy to use fraction tutorial. Practice equivalent fractions, reducing fractions, improper and mixed fractions, and the multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction of fractions.

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My students loved this activity. I found it in a teacher resource book years ago, but I don't remember which book. It works well for reinforcing the fraction concept after it has been taught.
Ice Cream Bowl Template (pdf) Ice Cream Scoops Template (pdf)
Each student receives a paper with nine predrawn ice cream scoops and a bowl drawn on it (or they can draw their own). Students choose at least three but no more than seven different kinds of ice cream (they loved this part). Next, they color in the ice cream scoops to match the number chosen for each variety.

After this, they write down the fraction that each type of ice cream represents on their bowl. For example, if they have three scoops of chocolate out of nine scoops, their fraction for chocolate scoops would be 3/9. Finally, they cut out their scoops and bowl and glue them on a piece of construction paper. Some students also enjoyed decorating their papers, adding cherries on top of their sundaes, etc.

You could also take it a step further by having an ice cream party using real ice cream. Students could request the amount of ice cream they want using fractions. For example, "May I please have chocolate be 1/3 of my sundae?

Extending this fraction concept at home, look for opportunities to use fractions in everyday life with your child. For example, while folding laundry, you could ask, "What fraction of the socks are white?" Your child could count the total number of socks to get the bottom number and then then number of white socks to get the top number. You could ask, "What fraction of your books are animal books?" Your child could count the total number of his or her books for the bottom number and the number of animal books for the top number. You can also turn the tables and have your child ask you a fraction question. For example, "What fraction of the dishes on our dinner table are plates?"
Teaching Fractions Through Art (pdf for printing and saving)
Fractions are everywhere in our world. As your child can see how this concept relates to everyday life, they will better understand it.

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My students loved this activity. I found it in a teacher resource book years ago, but I don't remember which book. It works well for reinforcing the fraction concept after it has been taught.